For as long as I can remember, one of the most defining aspects of my identity has been my Hispanic ethnicity. I carry it with me every day. Despite living in a country that looks down on being the daughter of immigrants, it has pushed me to keep my head held high.
It is no secret that the current state of our nation does not hold respect for those who were not “meant to be here.” Specifically, Hispanic or Latin immigrants are currently viewed as subhuman and animalistic in much of the public eye, particularly fueled by the dangerous and hate-filled rhetoric spoken by our government administration.
It is this fact that has caused me to ask, “How do you stay proud of where you came from when even your own president publicly believes that your people are ‘not humans, they are animals‘?”
It was originally difficult for me to verbally explain why my pride never faltered. However, on a recent visit home from college, my perspective changed. I sat with my mom, and as she told me about her day, I again felt an overwhelming surge of adoration and love for the roots that gave me the foundation I have today. Looking at a woman who came to this country with nothing but her immediate family and a dream, I was reminded of exactly why I carry the pride of my people with me every day.
remember where you came from
I am a first-generation American with strong roots in Peru, Nicaragua, and Brazil. I have always carried a great sense of honor and adoration that the blood flowing through my veins came from South and Central America.
My grandparents led the charge to move to the United States from countries that were no longer safe, giving up everything they had ever known in the process. With nothing more than the clothes on their backs, my abuelos started a foundation that grew into a garden of success, driven solely by their determination to provide a better life.
When I look back on my family’s history, I see pure perseverance and drive. It is the images of my family’s journey and their need to succeed no matter what that fill me with pride every day. My mother started her career by waiting tables for people who never saw her as deserving of respect, while my father gave up his dreams of an engineering degree to work and provide for his family. From there, they created an empire of success, fueled only by a refusal to fail. I beam with pride every time I get to say that they both now hold high-ranking positions in their companies, making money they never could have dreamed of as kids.
I live the extremely fortunate and blessed life I do now, with a never-ending pool of opportunities, because of the sacrifices of my immigrant family. It was my parents working unruly hours every day for decades to command respect and build success, in a world that treated them like they were nothing, that displayed what it means to be an immigrant in America.
My parents’ story of perseverance, while incredible, is not one of its kind. It is the sheer grit and determination of so many immigrant parents that allowed their first-generation American children to find footing in a world where they are seen as outsiders.
In a society that labels immigrants as lazy and thieves, find pride in the fact that you and your family pushed through unfathomable obstacles to find a place in a world that was determined to keep you out.
I come from a line of people who refused to give up, no matter how little they had. Holding pride in my identity as an immigrant’s daughter is my way of honoring their willingness to perform the ultimate sacrifice of giving up everything to provide me the opportunity to do anything.
Be Proud of the richness of your culture
So much of the “American” culture comes from immigrants building a new home in a foreign place and bringing their customs along with them. Beloved places all across the country, like Los Angeles and Miami, were founded and developed by immigrants who faced a refusal to be accepted and responded with their own communities that blossomed into staples of American life.
It is no secret that while much of the country looks down on the immigrants themselves, they love to participate in and utilize the foreign traditions that were brought to the U.S. Specifically, being Hispanic, it is an everyday occurrence to see the same people who campaign for immigrant removal appropriating our culture, listening to our music, and enjoying our food.
It is a testament to the beauty and richness of Asian, Latin, and African countries that even while immigrants are being vilified and systematically removed from the nation, the culture remains a staple that Americans are unwilling to let go of.
In a world where children are bullied for speaking their native language, take pride that you’re speaking the same words that your ancestors did for centuries before you. Wear your colors, eat your foods, say your full name, and keep your traditions alive. Instead of being ashamed and letting them change who you are, embrace all of the factors that represent your culture. You are carrying the love of millions of people with you.
Embrace your community
There are roughly 47 million immigrants in the country, with almost 25% of all American children having at least one immigrant parent, according to the Institute of Family Studies. America is a massively diverse country, and now it is more important than ever to build and maintain a community that protects and embraces immigrants.
We are in unprecedented times, and it can be extremely isolating and frightening to be freely who you are in the current political climate. However, it is because of this that it is so vital to foster and have a community that allows you to unapologetically be yourself. That community does not need to be solely other immigrants or first-gens, but people who can respect and appreciate where you come from.
Join that salsa class, make that friend, and go to that protest. Find spaces that are unwavering in their support for immigrants and find other people who are unabashedly themselves.
It is much easier to face the current reality of the country and not fall into hatred and bashing if you have a space that can build you up and remind you that, regardless of what is going on, being an immigrant is not something to be ashamed of.
Being the child of an immigrant is a testament of strength and perseverance, and I would choose this title in every lifetime. I am who I am today, not despite being the child of immigrants, but because I am the daughter of people with a rich culture who taught me to stand tall, even in a room that doesn’t want me.
The first step in changing the attitude of a country that does not like you is to never doubt the confidence and pride you have in yourself and in your people. They can never take away something you do not give up.
So stand tall in who you are, because your pride honors those who came before you and helps pave the way for those who come after you.